Roll adjusting mechanism



June 25, 1957 D. c. MILLS ROLL ADJUSTING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Nov. 9, 1953 INVENTOR. DONALD O. MILLS n mllflf/ll/l fl ln d wnATTYS United States Patent ROLL ADJUSTING MECHANISM Donald C. Mills,Youngstown, Ohio, assignor to The Aetna-Standard Engineering Company,Pittsburgh, l'a., a corporation of Ohio Application November 9, 1953,Serial No. 390,889

2 Claims. (Cl. 819-43) This invention relates to a roll stand havingmeans for.

urging one of the rolls toward the other, such as a pinch roll stand forhandling fiat strip steel or other strip mate rial. Such roll standsordinarily embody springs or like resilient means for urging one rolltoward the other and means for adjusting the pressure exerted thereby.

In the handling and processing of steel strip and other strip materialsit is frequently desirable to carry out operations with as fewinterruptions as possible. In order to maintain continuity ofoperations, the ends of succeeding lengths of strip are welded orotherwise joined together in a manner that often produces a seam orjoint of increased thickness and with a rough or irregular surface. Theresult is that the roll stand must suddenly accommodate itself to athickness different from that of the portions of the strip that precedeand follow the weld. The impact of a seam or other obstruction orirregularity on the rolls tends to damage the rolls, particularly whenthe strip is moving at high speed.

A general object of the present invention is to provide a constructionwhereby upon the approach of a seam or other obstruction or irregularityto the roll stand, the rolls can be separated to the extent and for theperiod of time necessary to allow the weld to pass between them withoutdamage and thereafter permit the rolls to reengage the strip, allwithout changing the adjustment of L the pressure exerted by the rolls.

Briefly, the foregoing and other objects of the invention areaccomplished by providing motor means, such as hydraulic or pneumaticcylinders and pistons, for moving one of the rolls away from the otherroll, preferably against the action of springs or other adjustableresilient means that are employed to urge the one roll toward the other.Thus, the one roll quickly can be separated from the other suflicientlyto permit the seam or other obstruction to pass without damage, and thenpermitted to move toward the other roll and engage the strip, allwithout disturbing the adjustment of the resilient means, so that afterthe obstruction has passed the rolls engage the strip with the samepressure as before. In the form of the invention disclosed herein, theroll-separating mechanism is under manual control of the operator;however, it is to be understood that the mechanism may be operatedautomatically, as by the use of a photo-cell or other sensing device todetect the approach of an obstruction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription which follows and from the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a roll stand incorporating the invention,parts of the roll stand being shown in section and others being brokenaway to show details of the interior construction;

Figure 2 is an elevation with parts in section as seen generally fromline 22 of Figure 1, the scale being larger than that of Figure 1;

2,796,781 Patented June 25, 1957 housings for the upper roll, the scalebeing the same as that of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a section with some of the parts in elevation showing on thesamescale as in Figure 2 some of the details of the. mechanism foradjusting the springs.

As indicated in Figure 1, a roll stand of the kind to, which theinvention relates may include, a Supper-ting structure or framework 10,made up of a top structure 11 that extends across the apparatus, and tworather shallow roll housings 12, one at each side of the roll stand.Each roll housing comprises a heavy vertical Web 13a having stiffeningflanges 13b. The rolls 14 and 17 are supported by the roll housings 12,and more particularly, by the webs 13a.

As shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, the necks 14a at the ends of lowerroll 14 extend into suitable bearings mounted in bearing housings 16that are rigidly fastened to the webs 13a. Bearing housings 16 areprovided with end plates 16a (Figures 1 and 2) which serve to retain thehearings in place. Cooperating with the lower roll and normally locatedin apposition to it, but of course out of actual contact with it whenstrip material is pass Figure 3 is an isometric view of one of thebearing ing between the rolls, is upper roll 17. The necks 17a at theends of upper roll 17 are also mounted in suitable bearings supported indisplaceable bearing housings 18.

Bearing housings 18 are so mounted in webs 13a that by displacing themthe normal spacing between upper roll 17 and lower roll 14, which isdetermined by the thickness of the strip, may be increased. Thus whenthe operator watching the strip passing through the app-aratus sees aseam or other obstruction approaching, hernay act to increase thespacing between the two rolls for a period of time long enough to permitthe obstruction to pass through the rolls without damage to theapparatus. This can be done as hereinafter described by retractingbearing housings 18, and correspondingly the upper roll 17, upwardly outof their normal positions.

In order to provide for movement of the bearing housings 18 in verticaldirection, ways 19 therefor are provided in slots 20 in the webs 13a ofthe roll housing 12. As shown in Figure 2, the slots 20 in each webextend from the tops of the webs downwardly and are narrowed slightly toprovide the ways or guides 19. Immediately below the ways 19, the slots20 open into enlarged generally circular openings 21 through which therolls 14 and 17 may be placed in and removed from the roll stands. Inthe left-hand roll stand in Figure 1, a shaft 23 projecting through theopening 21 may be provided in order to couple the lower roll 14 to amotor M or other suitable drive mechanism. i

The construction of the slideable bearing housings 1.8 is shownparticularly in Figure 3. As there indicated,

each bearing housing is of generally rectangular shape thus to adjustthe positions of the roll 17, the upper surface of each of the bearingblocks is provided with a U- shaped coupling element 25 preferablyformed integrally therewith or welded thereto. The coupling element hasan opening 25a therein and a recess 26 between the legs of the invertedU. In order to raise the bearing block '18 a connecting rod 28 extendsdownwardly through the opening 25a and is secured to the couplingelement by nut 27 (Figures 1 and 2). At its upper end, the connectingrod is secured to a piston 30 disposed within a cylinder 31 supported onthe transverse top structure 11. The mechanism just described isduplicated on both sides of the apparatus as shown in Figure 1. Bothcylinders may be operated by air or other fluid admitted to andexhausted from the space below the pistons 30 through fluid connections32, the space above the pistons being vented through fittings 33. Byadmitting fluid under pressure beneath the pistons 30 the pistons can beraised and with them the connecting rods 27, hearing blocks 18 and roll17. Thus, by suitable controls, the operator can quickly raise the roll17, and by releasing the pressure beneath the piston 30 can permit theroll to move downwardly again toward the roll 14 and into engagementwith the material passing through the apparatus.

The cylinders 30 are supported from the top structure 11 by gearhousings 34 shown in Figures 1 and 2, each gear housing being made up of:a top member 34a, four vertically extending side members 34b and abottom plate 340 that is securedto the top plate 11 of the roll stand.

In order to urge the roll 17 toward the roll 14, a coil spring 40surrounds each connecting rod 28. The lower end of each spring engages aspring seat 41 and the lower surface 'of the spring seat engages theupper surface of the element 25. The upper end of each spring is seatedon an upper spring seat 42 which is slidable on the connecting rod 28. Aboot 43 of the bellows type employed as a lubricant seal is secured tothe upper spring seat 42 as at 44 and is affixed to the lower face ofthe top structure 11 as at 45.

In order to provide for adjustment of each of the upper spring seats 42and thus adjustment of the pressures exerted by the spring 40, eachupper spring seat has an upwardly extending, externally threaded sleeve46 formed integrally therewith. The threaded portion 49 of the sleeve isengaged by a correspondingly in-temally threaded worm wheel 50 which issupported by bushings 51 and 52. Bushing 51 is welded to the top plate11 and is concentric with an opening 53 through which the sleeve 46extends. Bushing 52 is secured to the top plate 34a of the gear housing34. The sleeve is prevented from rotating by means of a key 48 whichengages a longitudinally extending key way 47 in the sleeve. Thus,rotation of the worm wheel 50, which acts as a nut on the threads 49 ofthe sleeve, functions to move the sleeve and the upper spring seat up ordown and thereby to adjust the force exerted by the spring 40 and thepressure exerted by the roll 17 on the work. It will be understood thatthe parts just described are incorporated on both sides of theapparatus, although the worm wheel 50 and certain other parts have beenomitted from the left-hand side of Figure 1 for convenience inillustration.

In order to adjust the pressure of the rolls, the worm wheel 50 on theright-hand side of the roll stand, as shown in Figure l, is engaged by aworm 55 (see Figures 2 and 4) which is secured to a hollow shaft 56mounted in suitable bearings 58 and 59 in the vertical walls 34b of theright-hand gear housing 34. Shaft 56 extends outwardly of the gearhousing 34 and has an adjusting wheel 66 keyed thereto, rotation of theadjusting wheel 66 thus results in varying the compression of the spring40 at the righbhand side of the apparatus and the pressure exertedthereby.

In order to adjust the corresponding worm wheel (not shown) at theleft-hand side of the roll stand, a shaft 57 extends through the hollowshaft 56 and drives a surrounding hollow shaft 60 carrying a worm 61(see Figure 1) that engages the worm wheel at the left-hand side of theapparatus. Shaft 60, like shaft 56, is supported in appropriate bearings62 and 63 in the vertical walls 34b of the left-hand gear housing. Shaft60 is pinned to pulled out of engagement with wheel 66 by means of theshaft 57 as at 64 and shaft 57 has a hand wheel 67 seknob 72, whereuponeither hand wheel 66 or 67 can be adjusted independently of the other.

In operation the springs 40 are manually adjusted to give the desiredpressure on the material passing through the roll stand. Thereafter,when the operator sees a seam or other obstruction approaching the rollstand he opens a valve to admit fluid under pressure to the under sidesof pistons 30 and cylinders 31 thus raising the pistons and, through theconnecting rods 28, raising the hearing housings 18 and the roll 17against gravity and the forces exerted by the springs 40, the springssimply being compressed when the roll is raised. After the obstructionis passed, the pressure in the cylinders is released and as the fluidflows out the roll 17 resumes its normal position and engages the workwith the same pressure as before, the movement of the roll 17 away fromthe roll 14 having taken place without any change in the adjustment ofthe pressure exerted by the rolls. The pressure exerted by the springscan be adjusted readilyby means of the hand wheels. By reason of theconstruction wherein the connecting rods for the pistons pass throughthe centers of the springs, the roll adjusting and lifting mechanism iscompact and can be manufactured at reasonable cost.

It is intended that the patent shall cover, by summarization in theappended claims, all features of patentable novelty that reside in theinvention.

I claim:

1. A roll stand comprising a framework and a pair of co-operating rolls,said framework including a roll housing at each end of said rolls, oneof said rolls being supported in a fixed position in said roll housings,the other of said rolls being supported in said roll housings formovement toward and away from said fixed roll, each of said rollhousings having a fixed bearing for supporting said fixed roll and avertically displaceable bearingslidably mounted in said roll housing forsupporting said movable roll, first and second coil springs acting onsaid displaceable bearings respectively for urging said movable rolltoward said fixed roll, means for adjusting the force exerted by each ofsaid springs, each adjusting means comprising a spring sea-t for the endof the spring remote from said displaceable bearing and means for movingsaid spring seat toward and away from said displaceable hearincomprising a threaded sleeve secured to said spring seat, a nut engagingsaid threaded sleeve and supported for rotatable movement thereon andheld against axial movement by said framework and gear means to rotatesaid nut, a fluid pressure cylinder and piston associated with each ofsaid displaceable bearings respectively and supported by the framework,each said piston having a piston rod extending through said threadedsleeve, spring seat, and spring and engaging said displaceable bearing,means for substantially simultaneously admitting fluid pressure intoeach of said fluid pressure cylinders on the corresponding sides of saidpistons, and the admission of said fluid pressure into said cylindersmoving said movable roll away from said fixed roll against the action ofsaid springs without affecting the adjustment of said springs andwithout moving said adjusting means.

2. A roll stand comprising a framework and a pair of co-operating rolls,said framework including a roll housing at each end of said rolls, oneof said rolls being supported in a fixed position in said roll housings,the other of said rolls being supported in said roll housings formovement toward and away from said fixed roll, each of said rollhousings having a fixed bearing for supporting said fixed roll and avertically displaceable bearing slidably mounted in said roll. housingfor supporting said movable roll, coil springs acting on each of saiddisplaceable bearings for urging said movable roll toward said fixedroll, means associated with each spring for adjusting the force exertedthereby comprising a spring seat for the end of the spring remote fromsaid displaceable bearing, and means for moving said spring seat towardand away from said displaceable bearing comprising a threaded sleevesecured to said spring seat and a nut comprising an internally threadedworm wheel engaging said threaded sleeve and supported for rotatablemovement thereon and held against axial movement by said framework, andworms for rotating said nuts, means for rotating said worms and meansfor coupling together said rotating means to rotate said worms insynchronisrn, a fluid pressure cylinder and piston associated with eachof said displaceable bearings and supported by the framework, each saidpiston having a piston rod engaging said displaceable bearing, and meansfor substantially simultaneously admitting fluid under pressure intoeach of said fluid pressure cylinders on the corresponding sides of saidpistons, the admission of said fluid into said cylinders moving saidmovable roll away from said fixed roll against the action of saidsprings without aifecting the adjustment of said springsand withoutmoving said means for adjusting the force of said springs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS595,572 Kennedy Dec. 14, 1897 695,181 Swindle Mar. 11, 1902 1,263,419James Apr. 23, 1918 2,072,122 Montgomery Mar. 2, 1937 2,078,711 HudsonApr. 27, 1937

